Submarine amusement device



March '15, 1932. T. N. ERBAN SUBMARINE AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Aug. 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEY.

March 15, 1932. T."N. ERBAN SUBMARINE AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Aug. 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9/ Ill/II 94 ENTOR mv I V Patented Mar. 15 1932" N STAT S TPATE T mun-1c n'fnannmor LAwRENcE MAssAcHusET'rs suimnmm MUSEMEN nEvmE This invention relates to. amusement devices of a type'iespecially adapted for parks where people go to be entertained. T 1 a The general idea is to provide Labasin or .pool filled with water into which run tracks .upon which a water-tight car travels.

The general idea :is to :providewpassengers, for a small fee, withthe sensation ofsgolng under water in a submarine boat but provid L ing that they shallbe fully protected against accident and .that they maysafely' get out of the car inicase anything goeswrongwhile it is substantially submerged; In the p leferred form of my deviceythe movements? of the car can be controlled from a control station 'which overlooks -thef'basin' and from the same station an emergencyoutlet :for-the water canvbe opened so -asto quickly'empty the' basin.- I I I The 'propelling'means for the car may be electricity, chains or ropes, or 'anykind of explosive, steam or compressed airengine. When a self contained motor is use'ch'it is usually necessary to have an attendant {riding in the car but in my preferreddevice,

everything including selling and taking tickdiagrammatic plan larger size. 7

coming up to the switch 26 from the partQ2O of the circuit loop,' .part beingin section.

Fig. 7 a is a detaildiagrammatic plan-yiew of the automatic mechanism' forshifting the pole from one gendless chain totheeother.

Fig. 8 is asideyelevationpartly in section of a car of theelectrijc-type. i

.150 Fi s is a detailed;sideelevation i'looking similar to what is shown in Fig.4 but of a Fig. 6 isarview aslfrom the front a car I 7 Application filed-August 14, 1930. "-S eriaIQNo. 475-,216.

P 7 h win thea el b g andth'ir peration...

Fig. 10 is a plan viewuofjan electric car. j

i with the hatch open. H

a Fig. 11 is .a detail showing fthe application 15-5 ofa gasoline niotorlas the drivesmechanism. In the drawings, A representsxthe ground or land upon which is built a basiniB. As i shown, thi's'basin is formed ibymeans ofza" wall l'ofelliptical shape. The basiniihasifa, be

loW, leVelpartS in the bottom of which is l anou'tlet 2w'hic'h can be closed: valvetS, i such .valve being' keptclosed by boltffi whi'ch passes through-suitable straps} 4 an'dfii A rod pe 16 ds frombolt 5 w t5 COIIVGIllQIli] -l31acejn t o ation c J v ispositioned at a high point over thelba sin.

Rodlo' is fastened-to a 1ever 17 pivoted at '18 so thatan {operator at thQfSllQJtlOIl C 'bypullingleverl 17 the water out of thebasinj The basinslopes upward at79 towar'dthe if."

control station 6 and preferably-towards landingStage which may-includesuitable i1 approaches 10,agate11'and controlstation a. l5

Frepresents the trackwhich preferably comprises 'two' 'rails-'and n'ear the floor of e low part '8 of the 'bas'i-mfi orms an endless circuit'loop 20, -21 hichjniay he circular,

elliptical or any {other convenient -'shape and 'fromwhich extends a "landing loop 22. 120 represents part of "the circuitloop and 21 represents the part' which 'comp'letes it be I "t'Ween-the-ends of the landing loop 22. "I -he landing loop 22 extends-u-pwa-rdfon the slope 8 5 i9 to its high point near the control-station ZC.

' Inf-order that acar such asK can start at; the landingstage D and tr avel down and thence ride around the circuit loop, "I provide the switchesf23 and-'26 whereby the car-can 00 be switched itrom one loop ,to Y the other.-

As shownkin detail .inlFig; 3; the one switch point 26 is attached toia rod 126 2 attached to .one arm of a .bell crank lever 27- spring 1 pressed ibyspri-n g' 127*in-such:a wayitha'tith'e circuit loopis: normally open but 'ica'n 'be closed when r :it is desired -ithat the: scar K i should emerge, bypnlli'ng 'a-cOnnecting :ro'd .28 which extends up :to theicon'trolstationsC.

, llhe switch :23 on ithe other .siclewcanbe j canjopenthe valve and let 2!) i merely one or more freely hung points because the car coming down will move the switch itself but for safety, it is controlled in a manner similar to switch 26 with the connecting rod 123 to hell crank lever 24 which is normally so pressed by spring 12 i as to keep switch 23. open but can be operated by rod 25 extending up to the control station C so as to close switch 23 when desired from station C. p

H represents a pair of trolley wires 30, supported on the inside of the basin inside the tracks as by posts 3 1 and brackets 35.

lrolley wires 30, 30 are connected by wires 31, 31 to a double pole switch 38 in the control station. From the double pole switch 38 extend the wires 32, 32 to a source of electric energy indicated by G. v

The car is represented by K and should be heavy enough with its passengers to stay down under water. Its bottom and sides are strictly water-proof and there are in the body on each side, the glass windows 41, 41 and inside the seats 42. The car K travels on wheels 43, 13 which run on track F.

As' shown, the motor 442 is positioned in the rear end of the car and may be in a compartment by itself. It is connected by wires 46, 46 with the double trolley arms 47, 47 of anvwellknown type, which are carried by a bracket 147 on the upper inside of car K.

A strap 148 drives the rear wheels 43, 43 from motor 44. V V

14.8, 48 represent ventilators which extend up to the roofof car K and 4:9 isa hatchway whichopens towardthe trolleys $7, 17 to protect the passengers who are com ng in or going out by way of the ladder 50.

Instead of. an electric motor, I can use a chain and sprocket drive of a type similar to those used on roller coasters. Asshown in Figs. 6, 7 and 9, this drive includes supporting sprockets and 61 around which pass the chains 62and 63 as shown in Fig. '2.

As shown, the line of sprockets 60, 60 with the endless chain. 62 which travels around them are insidethe other line of sprockets 61, 61 with their chain 63. The inner chain 62 travels around the circuit loop while the outer chain 63 travels around the part 20 of the circuit loop and the part 22 of the landing loop so that when the switches 23' and 26 are moved, the car K can be driven either around the circuit or landing loop.

In order to shift the drive mechanism, many devicescan be used either operated from inside the car or preferably so arranged with the switches 23 and 26 that when the switch is thrown, the connection one end a pivoted connection for arm 69 which can be extended down through a water tight hole 169 and at its other end an arm 68 which extends down through a water tight hole 168.

These arms are of such length that 69 can be pushed down as shown by the dotted lines in front of a pin carried by chain 63. and the end of arm 68 can be pushed down in front of a pin 6% carried by a chain 62. The mechanism for operating by switch rod 126 includes two standards 74: and 7 5 which carry respectively the oppositely slanting plows 72 and 7 3 which are in such a position and so arranged that when, for instance, rod 126 is pushed to the left, thus opening switch 26 to allow the car to travel around the circuit, the plow 73 is. brought in front of a wheel 71 carried by arm 68 and if the car continues moving, arm 68 is brought down in front of pin 64 and arm 69 is lifted clear of pin 65. See Fig. 9.

When switch rod 126 is moved to the right to switch the car onto the landing loop, the plow, 72 is moved over in front of another wheel carried by arm 68, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7 and'this. wheel 7 0 rolls up on the plow 7 2 thereby lifting arm 68 and depressing arm 69 until it is in front of pin 65. v

Preferably an electric motor of any usual type is used to drive both the chains 62 and 63 and I interpose a switch such as 38 in its circuit. By locating the switch in the control station, the current can be switched off and the car stopped to allow loading and unloading of passengers.

In Fig. 11, I show how an explosive gasoline motor 91 can be used instead of an electric motor or chain drive. On account of the fumes, this motor 91 should be in a compartment 90 at the rear of the car K and should be provided with an intake air pipe 92 and an exhaust air pipe 93, running up above the water level in the basin. The shaft 9e connects themotor with the rear wheels such as 95 by any suitable gearing ordifferential mechanism.

I claim: I

1.-In an amusement device, the combination of a basin adapted to hold water, said basin having a floor and sides together with an outlet near the floor; with a control stage near the top of oneof the sides; a track near the floor forming an endless circuit loop from whichan endless landing loop extends upward to a high point near the" control stage tracks switches between the circuit loop and the landing loop; anemergency control valve for the floor outlet; two trolley lines of wire suspended over the basin so as to be proximate the inner side of'said track; a source of electric current for said trolley lines; control means extending from the control stage to each of the track switches;

means at the control stage for controlling the electric current to the trolley wires; means extending fromthe control stage for opening the valve in the emergency outlet; together with a'passenger car which includes glass windows; wheels which rest on the track; an electric motor and connections therefrom with trolleys whichtravel on the trolley wires; air ventilators which project above the roof of the car, and a hatchway in the roof of the car with a 'door which swingsupward to wards the inner side of the basin. i

2. In an amusement device, the combination of a basin adapted to hold water, said basin having a floor and sides; with a control stage; a track near the floor forming an endless circuit loop from which an endless landing loop extends upward to a high point near the'control stage; track switches between the circuit loop and the landing loop; two trolleylines of wire suspended.

over the basin so as to be proximate the inner side of said track; a source of electric current for said trolley lines; control means extending from the control stage to each of the track switches means at the control stage for controlling the electric current to the trolley wires, together with a passenger car whichincludes'glass windows, wheels which 1 rest on the track; an electric motor and connections therefrom with trolleys which travel on the trolley wires, air ventilators which project above the roof of the car, and a hatchway in the roof of the car with a door which swings upward-towards the inner side of the basin.

3. In an amusement tion of a basin adapted to hold water, said basin having a floor and sides; with a control stage; a track near the fioor forming an end- I less circuit loop from which an endless land ing loop extends upward to a high point near the-control stage; track switches between the circuit loop and the landing loop; control means extending from the control stage to; v

each of the track switches; together with a passenger car whichincludes glass windows, wheels which rest on the track, air ventilators which project above the roof of the car, and a hatchway in the roof of the car with a door which swings upward toward the inner side of the basin.

4. In an amusement device; the combination of a basin adapted to hold water, said basin having a floor and sides; with a con-- trol stage; a track near thefioor forming an endless circuit loop from which an'endless landing loop extends upward to a high point near the control stage; track switches between the circuit loop and the landing loop; I

control means extending from the control stage to each of the track switches; together with a passenger car which includes glass windows and wheels which rest on the track.

* TUFIC N. ERBAN;

device, the combina- 

